2024 Aries Solar Eclipse – A Comet With the Eclipse?

With the second total solar eclipse over the US in only 7 years, the country is on edge more than ever. Since the 2017 total solar eclipse, the US has faced political turmoil, a pandemic, and the renew threat of global war. If anything this eclipse is going to put the country even more on edge given how eclipses are traditionally viewed as ill omens. But at least it is just a regular transit unlike something that is really bad like a comet…

Oh wait… There could be a comet visible this time with the eclipse… Well that will surely make things interesting! The comet is 12/Pons-Brooks, a periodic comet with an orbit of about 71 years. This makes it a Halley-type short period comet. While the comet was noted by Jean-Louis Pons in 1812, an independent discovery by William Robert Brooks in 1883 was later calculated to be the same comet. In modern times the comet returned again in 1954 without much fanfare and being a bit dimmer than before.

Comet Pons-Brooks

As readers of the blog may know I wrote extensively on comets and their astrological interpretation. Comets are divine fire and add energy into the chart where ever they are present. There are two factors that influence how a comet gets interpreted, brightness and color. Brightness affects the intensity of the energy, while color the meaning. Lastly since this comet has been seen before, we can also look to past events to see it’s meaning too.

For brightness comet Pons-Brooks will be faint during the eclipse, with an estimated magnitude of 4.8. Not too bright. Although it is prone to outbursts that can lead to increase brightness. Last year, in July, it had one that made it grow two tails that looked like horns from earth. It is possible the comet could be much brighter than anticipated during the eclipse and therefore more intense.

For color, the comet looks to have green coloring and blueish tail in the latest images before it came under the beams of the Sun. This would make the comet more like the energy of Mercury with a bit of Saturn mixed in. It is probably more Mercury like than Saturn like given the brightness of the green. The fact it is prone to outburst activity that can lead to increase brightness as well as changes of shape is another indicator of a Mercurial nature.

US History & Comet Pons-Brooks

Since this is a short period comet, the last thing we can analyze is the history of it returning against the US Natal Chart. This can be done since we have good records back to 1812 and there are at least 3 other times this comet Pons-Brooks was visible. Below I have produce a table showing the approximate location in the zodiac with important comet’s observation dates, like the first naked eye visibility date, the house in the US Natal Chart the comet was located, and the major events that happened.

The results are stark. When discovered, the comet was in the 7^th House of the US Natal Chart and transited to the 8^th House during the first naked eye visibility. The major event in 1812 was the War of 1812, and 7^th House is often associated with wars in Mundane Astrology. The alignment with war and death is fitting given the transit at the time.

In 1883-1884 the comet’s first visibility was in the 1^st House. This is basically an off year for major US events. The only two I could find during a quick search was the establishment of the US Civil Service and the Civil Rights Acts of 1875 being ruled Unconstitutional. Out of the two events , the Civil Rights Act event seems more related to the 1^st House since it relates with how the US people interacted with one another. The big Civil Right Act ruling basically legalized racial discrimination again. Interesting on the next return of the comet in 1954, segregation in was ended in schools in the US with the Brown v Broad of Education ruling. This to me suggests some of the the effects of comets can last an entire cycle.

Aside form the Civil Rights coming up again, 1954 had many other major US events. Around the time for the comet’s visibility there were Hydrogen bombs tests like Castle Bravo, there was shooting in the US Capital Building by Puerto Rican nationalists, Senator McCarthy was investigating communist infiltration, and the Indochina War was ending which later caused the Vietnam War. Trying to relate some of these events the first naked eye visibility is a bit difficult. The hydrogen bomb tests seem more related to the telescopic recovery of the comet since Pluto is in the US 2^nd House. The Indochina War event could be related to the last naked eye visibility since that was in the 10^th House and at the time the President was setting the Domino Theory as official US policy to contain communism leading to the Vietnam War.

However, the first naked eye visibility event is typically the most important for a comet. It was in the 5^th House which would mean public entertainment. This can easily be related to Senator McCarthy and McCarthyism since the the public was captivated at the time of stories of communist infiltration. And that also works as the opposite house of Congress as it was a low point in the history of Congress. The 5^th House is also represented by enemies of Congress so the Capital Shooting event was also covered under that transit.

The first naked eye visibility of the comet Pons-Brooks was March 7, 2024. This transit occurred in the 4^th House, which represents the land and infrastructure. Maybe it wasn’t so surprising the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore Harbor collapsed due to a Mercury like comet impacting the infrastructure of the nation. Please note I didn’t add telescopic recovery date to the latest return. That is because our modern telescopes are too good and it has been under constant observation since 10 June 2020!

2024 Aries Solar Eclipse

With that history lesson over, the next thing to address is where it falls in the chart during the eclipse. Comet Pons-Brooks will be at approximately 14 Taurus in the 10^th House of the chart. This makes it conjunct with Jupiter at 19 Taurus and Uranus at 21 Taurus, and if it is visible due to an outburst would appear next to Jupiter during the totality of the eclipse. Other astrological aspects to comet Pons-Brooks are a sextile to Mars at 13 Pisces and Saturn at 14 Pisces in the 8^th House It is also trines Ceres at 17 Capricorn and square the Ascendant of the chart over Washington D.C. at 16 Leo.

Of these obviously the Mars-Saturn conjunction sextiling the comet is the most impactfull. Since the comet Pons-Brooks is in the 10^th House, it is easy to see the Presidency will be most affect by it. Despite the presence of Jupiter there, I wouldn’t considered the comet a good omen for the President due to the aspects to Mars and Saturn. Some type of bad event will happen. I can’t rule out the unexpected death of President Biden, although given the existence for the 25^th Amendment he could be removed after a sudden illness too.

The Solar Eclipse itself also suggests the death of the President. According a Raphael’s Mundane Astrology, an eclipse in the second decan of Aries means “Imprisonment and sadness of some king, and danger of death to him; the corruption of the trees bearing fruit, and of things growing on the earth.” I suppose the threat of imprisonment could aptly apply to President Trump, however, former Presidents typically aren’t given the 10^th House in mundane, only active Presidents are. How this affects the upcoming Presidential election is an open question.

The Solar Eclipse is located in the 9^th House with a retrograde Mercury. Since the comet has Mercury like energy and is direct, a Mercury is retrograde here is likely to mix the two types of energy together in unpredictable ways. Perhaps they could cancel but since they are in opposite sign elements, it more likely there will an improper mixture of energies and there will bigger impacts to Mercury related things.

Due to the Solar Eclipse’s placement in the 9^th House, the most likely affect would relate to the legal system in the US. Traditionally, this could be organized religious institutions or higher education, but given the US has no official religion and like wise a mix of private and public universities, I think the US legal system will likely be more affected. Especially because legal matters have been in the news frequently. From the numerous cases against President Trump making new case law, to Texas ignoring Federal immigration laws, to the numerous important Supreme Court cases this term, the legal system will likely be most affected. Given the Mercury Retrograde, and Mercury-like comet I would expect much confusion on the different rulings from the various different courts throughout the country. I don’t think anyone will be happy with them no matter what their political leanings are.

Luckily the Solar Eclipse itself should have short term effects because it is occurring a cardinal sign. I would expect the effects to last no longer than the next set of eclipses later this year. Still it will be wild ride for those following the legal drama in the country. And those following the the presidential election. Neither will go as expected this year.